Atlanta, GA – Members, stewards and executive board members from Teamsters Local 728 have been collecting contract unity pledges at UPS barns across the state of Georgia. The statewide effort has been a part of the national campaign started by the International in February. The contract unity pledges are being used as a bargaining tool by the Teamsters in the lead-up to contract negotiations with UPS and as a way to talk to members about a potential strike at UPS later this year.
Gainesville, GA – COVID-19 virus is spreading quickly among poultry workers and their families in Georgia. In Hall County, northeast of Atlanta, there is a hotspot with over 2000 cases and 29 deaths as of May 12. With roughly 16,500 workers employed by 14 chicken plants across Georgia, and most immigrant families living with two or three generations in one house, the situation is code red. There needs to be an emergency response from the government and the corporations.
_Movement demands ‘Stop the execution!’ on global day of solidarity Sept. 16 _
On Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m., the State of Georgia Department of Corrections is planning to execute Troy Davis by lethal injection. A broad movement has stepped into high gear to stop this injustice from happening, with a global day of solidarity protests planned for Sept. 16. Protests will take place across the U.S. and around the world to demand that the Georgia State Board of Pardon and Parole stop the execution by granting Davis clemency. Davis’s family is also asking people to sign the online petition to the Board of Pardons and Parole. Over 200,000 people have signed the petition in a matter of days.
An important blow against racism and reaction was struck in Georgia, July 20. Cynthia McKinney's victory in Georgia’s 4th congressional district in the Democratic primaries means it is almost certain that her courageous voice will be heard again inside the halls of Congress.
The Georgian government launched an all out attack on South Ossetia, Aug. 8, to annex the region by force. South Ossetia is a small region that borders southern Russia with a population of 70,000 people. The Georgian regime, led by President Mikhail Saakashvili and backed by the U.S. and NATO, attacked the South Ossetian capital city of Tskhinvali. Many buildings were bombed and damaged with large numbers of South Ossetians reported killed by the Georgian military’s brutal attack. The people of the city were left without running water or electricity. Tens of thousands sought refuge, fleeing in terror north towards Russia. In addition to the savage attacks on civilians, the Georgians comprising part of the peacekeeping force in the region fired on their Russian counterparts, killing at least 15 soldiers and wounding 150.